Blake [he/him] @ Blake @feddit.uk

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3

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704

Joined

2 yr. ago

If free speech existed anywhere before the 1st amendment then you can’t say that any reference to free speech is a reference to the first amendment. It may surprise you to hear that free speech is a concept which often goes beyond the first amendment, even in the US. When Elon Musk talks about “free speech” on Twitter, is he very confused about the first amendment? Or could he be talking about the concept of free expression?

The problem with all of these things is always unequal enforcement. For example if the store allowed an employee to wear a thin blue line mask, and fired another employee for a BLM mask

So that’s a no, then - you don’t have a right for something if you have to leave the system to exercise the right. For example you wouldn’t have the right of freedom of speech if I said “yeah you can say whatever you want if you leave the country!”

So, why do companies deserve more rights than people?

Wow, that Oracle really was hot shit then, she must have seen the future and shared the 1st amendment with the people of Athens in the 6th century BC.

That just means that employers can push their own political agendas and suppress alternatives.

“Employees may not wear pins of a political nature, such as expressing support for Joe Biden. Wearing a pin expressing support for Donald Trump is acceptable because that is not political.”

Like I said, it either has to be all or nothing - allow self expression or do not. Allowing self expression only if the company agrees with the expression is essentially compelled speech.

…what? I didn’t mention anything that you’re writing about in your comment. I just basically listed countries that have a strong manufacturing or design of microprocessors. For example TSMC in Taiwan, Intel in the US, Samsung in Korea and SMIC in China are some of the biggest players.

You wanna explain how any of this helps prevent war?

“Also, I love to spread extremely racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories alongside my neofascist buddies!”

Out of season it’s indeed more CO2-advantageous for us to import apples from New Zealand than to store them

Not necessarily true, it would depend on the how clean the energy source of the refrigeration is. The only other major CO2Eq emission from storage of perishables is refrigerant leakage, but in most commercial scale usages that’s really low.

False equivalence. Free speech and the first amendment are not the same thing.

Amazon spends millions on lobbying politicians, but prevents their employees from wearing a badge which expresses support for an extremely marginalised group.

Do workers have the right to refuse to be associated with something that the company want them to display on their dress code? For example, a corporate sponsor? If no, why do companies deserve more rights than people?

As a kid I liked to chew random stuff, (and tbh as an adult too, but I control myself by chewing socially acceptable stuff!) and I once chewed on some fancy curtains were pretty big and covered a big bay window, and my parents had to replace them. I don’t know how much they were but it couldn’t have been cheap.

I’m not sure how to write this in the sensitive way that it should be delivered, so I’m really sorry about that, but have you ever thought about going to therapy?

The reason I bring it up is because I used to be like that too, and it was absolutely fine with me until some shit happened in my life that my usual coping mechanisms couldn’t deal with and I went to therapy for help.

Entirely coincidentally, (or not?) we got onto the topic of emotional awareness and expression and eventually we worked out that I had trouble understanding my emotions due to a neurological disorder, but also, that I had been suppressing my emotions because as a kid I’d basically been taught that people react negatively towards my displays of emotion.

Just a thought that maybe it could help you if you were interested.

Today! I’m in hospital having received surgery on both of my legs to try and restore some mobility, I’m not able to walk unaided right now, but I’m improving every day!

That’s unrelated to why I cried, though, I just wanted to defy expectations a little! I cried because I read something that always makes me cry - Valerie’s letter from V for Vendetta - I’ve included the movie version below, but it’s pretty faithful to the original:

I know there’s no way I can convince you this is not one of their tricks. But I don’t care. I am me.

My name is Valerie. I don’t think i’ll live much longer, and I wanted to tell someone about my life. This is the only autobiography that i’ll ever write, and – God – i’m writing it on toilet paper.

I was born in Nottingham in 1985. I don’t remember much of those early years. But I do remember the rain. My grandmother owned a farm in Tottlebrook, and she used to tell me that God was in the rain.

I passed my eleven plus, and went to a girl’s grammar. It was at school that I met my first girlfriend. Her name was Sarah. It was her wrists – they were beautiful. I thought we would love each other forever. I remember our teacher telling us that it was an adolescent phase that people outgrew.

Sarah did.

I didn’t.

In 2002 I fell in love with a girl named Christina. That year I came out to my parents. I couldn’t have done it without Chris holding my hand.

My father wouldn’t look at me. He told me to go and never come back. My mother said nothing.

I’d only told them the truth. Was that so selfish? Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have.

It is the very last inch of us.

And within that inch, we are free.

I’d always known what i’d wanted to do with my life, and in 2015 I started my first film: The Salt Flats.

It was the most important role of my life. Not because of my career, but because that was how I met Ruth. The first time we kissed, I knew I never wanted to kiss any other lips but hers again.

We moved to a small flat in London together. She grew scarlet carsons for me in our window box. And our place always smelt of roses.

Those were the best years of my life.

But America’s war grew worse and worse, and eventually came to London.

After that there were no roses anymore. Not for anyone.

I remember how the meaning of words began to change. How unfamiliar words like “collateral” and “rendition” became frightening. When things like norsefire and the articles of allegiance became powerful. I remember how different became dangerous.

I still don’t understand it: why they hate us so much.

They took Ruth while she was out buying food. I’ve never cried so hard in my life. It wasn’t long until they came for me.

It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place.

But for three years I had roses – and apologised to no-one.

I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch.

But one.

An inch.

It is small and it is fragile, and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us.

I hope that - whoever you are - you escape this place. I hope that the world turns, and that things get better.

But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you: I love you.

With all my heart.

I love you.

-Valerie.

According to who? Because every dictionary I checked has the first definition of stupidity as being something along the lines of “lacking in intelligence”, “having a lack of wit or intellect”, “slowness or incoherence with regards to reasoning”, and ignorance defined as something along the lines of “a lack of knowledge”, “uneducated on some facts” etc.

Neither of those have any involvement whatsoever with intent.

If you want a term to describe intentional ignorance, then the best phrase imo is “wilful ignorance”. If you want a phrase that means that someone is intentionally refusing to accept facts or reason because it would conflict with their beliefs, then “dogmatic” or “bigoted” are better suited than stupid. If someone genuinely doesn’t understand something then you should not be angry with them, that’s just cruel.

It’s far more likely someone clicks on a video explaining something they want to know than a video debunking a misconception they didn’t know people had

I don’t think that’s true, honestly! My instinct tells me that someone would be way more likely to click a video called “why xyz is wrong about solar power” than a video called “learn more about solar power” even if they had no real experience in the area.

Again, how would you propose Western countries help China with that?

I literally said in my comment:

“Western countries should be doing much more and should also be helping developing countries bear the cost of transitioning to renewables far more than they currently are.”

By “doing more”, I mean that they should be investing much more into renewables themselves, and ending all fossil fuel subsidy.

By “helping developing countries bear the cost”, I mean literally provide developing countries with aid in the form of money to fund their renewables projects.

they just don’t have the manufacturing capacity to meet their energy deficit.

They can do more than they are doing, and therefore, they should do more. I don’t think this is a complex argument I’m making!

Weird “split”, I don’t agree with it, but sure, I’ll play along.

For manufacturing, it’s predominantly Asia. China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan are the largest manufacturers of computer components. But a good amount are still made in the US, particularly in Texas, and all over the world there are some other manufacturers.

For design and research, it’s predominantly Asia and western nations, again China, Taiwan, the United States and Japan are prominent, as well as a number of Western European nations such as the United Kingdom.

I really don’t think you know what you’re talking about, do you?

West: steals all resources, then burns a bunch of shit, and then causes a massive flood

Libya: thousands of people die

West: lol why are your houses so shit lmao build better gg skill issue

Very clearly the answer is that the world would be more stable, I don’t see how that’s really disputable? It would be worse for NATO, certainly, but a truly United Africa would be absolutely astounding. I don’t think you realise just how much that would change the world

it’s hard to believe that they aren’t sandbagging us on purpose

It’s hard to believe that they’re not doing it on purpose exactly because they are doing it on purpose. The system isn’t broken, it’s doing exactly what it is designed to do. You cannot use the system against itself. Voting helps prevent the greater evil but that just gets you the lesser evil. If you want an answer that is not evil at all, we need to create that entirely separately, outside of the established system and politics.